Have you ever ......

[klickitat_jim]

Or messing up your friendships, marriage, family, driving record, finances, criminal history, career…

[tschmidlin]

I was asked about this in one of my homebrew clubs, here was my answer . . .

I don’t know all of the science behind it, but here is my take.  TLDR version - I’m skeptical.

There are 7 or 8 alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) genes in yeast.  This is from the fully sequenced yeast strain (S228C), which is not a brewing version but is closely related.  Any bakers yeast or brewing yeast will be very similar, although gene duplications are likely to have happened and so there may be more than one version of these genes.  The activated yeast from the store that the article references will be similar.

Of these ADH genes, most of them are involved with turning acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) into ethanol (CH3CHOH).  A couple of them are suspected in fusel alcohol production.  Only one of them, ADH2, is able to do the reverse reaction and convert ethanol into acetaldehyde.

The purpose of ADH2 is to allow the yeast to use ethanol as a carbon source, so expression of the ADH2 gene is up-regulated in the presence of ethanol.  But yeast prefer to use sugar as a carbon source, so in the presence of sugar expression of ADH2 is repressed several hundred fold.  When dried yeast is made it is grown in a low gravity sugar solution which means there would not be much ADH2 present in the dried yeast to begin with.

Then there is the problem of the environment.  In order for what they are proposing to work, the ADH2 enzyme would have to maintain functionality in the stomach and the GI tract.  The challenge is both the low pH of the stomach and the proteases your body makes to digest food.  It’s possible this isn’t a problem for the yeast ADH2 protein, but it seems unlikely that ADH2 would be protease resistant and low pH tends to cause proteins to unfold.

So because of the low amounts of ADH2, the low pH, and the protease rich environment of the stomach, I’m a bit skeptical.  I have no idea if it works as he says it does, but if it does I doubt it is for that reason.  A more likely explanation seems to me that after a couple of decades of drinking regularly, Jim’s own ADH2 expression levels are high so it is broken down quickly by his body and yeast ADH2 does not play a role.  Maybe we should get some yeast that completely lacks ADH2 as a control and we can give it a try.

[a10t2]

@tschmidlin

A more likely explanation seems to me that after a couple of decades of drinking regularly, Jim’s own ADH2 expression levels are high so it is broken down quickly by his body and yeast ADH2 does not play a role.

A more likely explanation still is that after decades of drinking, he’s figured out how to hide it.

[tschmidlin]

@a10t2

@tschmidlin

A more likely explanation seems to me that after a couple of decades of drinking regularly, Jim’s own ADH2 expression levels are high so it is broken down quickly by his body and yeast ADH2 does not play a role.

A more likely explanation still is that after decades of drinking, he’s figured out how to hide it.

Probably a combination of both

[tschmidlin]

@a10t2

@tschmidlin

A more likely explanation seems to me that after a couple of decades of drinking regularly, Jim’s own ADH2 expression levels are high so it is broken down quickly by his body and yeast ADH2 does not play a role.

A more likely explanation still is that after decades of drinking, he’s figured out how to hide it.

That reminds me of the time I went on a ride-along with NJSP.  The trooper pulled over a guy for speeding and smelled alcohol, but the guy passed every bit of the field sobriety test except the last one.  The last one he failed badly - it is the HGN test and is a physiological response.  I was talking to the trooper and he didn’t get it, he said the guy seemed totally fine but the HGN said he was hammered.  So he took him in for a breathalyzer and the guy blew over .20.

[majorvices]

This reminds me of another fact that is little well known. If you eat Hot Krispy Kream donuts they have no calories. This is because the biological response of your anatomical enzymes do not see the calories so they pass right through. You can eat as many as you want, as long as they are hot. I know this is true because I can eat a dozen with no problems.

[klickitat_jim]

You crack me up

[thirsty_monk]

@majorvices

This reminds me of another fact that is little well known. If you eat Hot Krispy Kream donuts they have no calories. This is because the biological response of your anatomical enzymes do not see the calories so they pass right through. You can eat as many as you want, as long as they are hot. I know this is true because I can eat a dozen with no problems.

I think this is brand specific. I did this with Kwik Trip donuts and now look at me.

[jonhughey_att.net (HoosierBrew)]

@thirsty_monk

@majorvices

This reminds me of another fact that is little well known. If you eat Hot Krispy Kream donuts they have no calories. This is because the biological response of your anatomical enzymes do not see the calories so they pass right through. You can eat as many as you want, as long as they are hot. I know this is true because I can eat a dozen with no problems.

I think this is brand specific. I did this with Kwik Trip donuts and now look at me.

Must be it.  Dunkin’ Donuts didn’t do me any favors either. And I’ve had 'em plenty hot. 

[erockrph]

@tschmidlin

I was asked about this in one of my homebrew clubs, here was my answer . . .

I don’t know all of the science behind it, but here is my take.  TLDR version - I’m skeptical.

There are 7 or 8 alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) genes in yeast.  This is from the fully sequenced yeast strain (S228C), which is not a brewing version but is closely related.  Any bakers yeast or brewing yeast will be very similar, although gene duplications are likely to have happened and so there may be more than one version of these genes.  The activated yeast from the store that the article references will be similar.

Of these ADH genes, most of them are involved with turning acetaldehyde (CH3CHO) into ethanol (CH3CHOH).  A couple of them are suspected in fusel alcohol production.  Only one of them, ADH2, is able to do the reverse reaction and convert ethanol into acetaldehyde.

The purpose of ADH2 is to allow the yeast to use ethanol as a carbon source, so expression of the ADH2 gene is up-regulated in the presence of ethanol.  But yeast prefer to use sugar as a carbon source, so in the presence of sugar expression of ADH2 is repressed several hundred fold.  When dried yeast is made it is grown in a low gravity sugar solution which means there would not be much ADH2 present in the dried yeast to begin with.

Then there is the problem of the environment.  In order for what they are proposing to work, the ADH2 enzyme would have to maintain functionality in the stomach and the GI tract.  The challenge is both the low pH of the stomach and the proteases your body makes to digest food.  It’s possible this isn’t a problem for the yeast ADH2 protein, but it seems unlikely that ADH2 would be protease resistant and low pH tends to cause proteins to unfold.

So because of the low amounts of ADH2, the low pH, and the protease rich environment of the stomach, I’m a bit skeptical.  I have no idea if it works as he says it does, but if it does I doubt it is for that reason.  A more likely explanation seems to me that after a couple of decades of drinking regularly, Jim’s own ADH2 expression levels are high so it is broken down quickly by his body and yeast ADH2 does not play a role.  Maybe we should get some yeast that completely lacks ADH2 as a control and we can give it a try.

Also, don’t forget that there’s plenty of sugar available through much of the GI tract. If any yeast survive the trip, wake up, and start eating, they are a lot more likely to eat the food in our gut than the alcohol in our beer.

[mtnrockhopper (Jimmy K)]

My friend who’s seen Jim Koch being held upright by his handlers at many a beer festival has another theory. He’s smashed and has no idea.

[euge]

Don’t compress all of your consumption into the space of an hour. If I spread my drinking out over the course of 6-7 hours my results are similar if not identical to the second test without use of yeast.

I call BS…

Drink plenty of water during the time frame and pop a B-complex before bed. Skip the pain reliever as it may do more harm than good and you shouldn’t need it anyway.

[garc_mall]

Just adding to the conversation. Serious eats did some research, and found that it looks plausible, and has already been patented in some form or another.

Can Eating Yeast Really Keep You From Getting Drunk?